About the condition: Headache is due to activation of pain-sensitive structures in or around the brain, skull, face, sinuses, neck or teeth. Headache may occur as a primary disorder or be secondary to another disorder. Primary headache disorders include migraine, cluster headache and tension-type headache. Secondary headache has numerous causes. Overall the most common headaches are tension-type and migraine. Some causes of headache are common; others are important to recognise because they are dangerous, require specific treatment, or both. This is where a chiropractor can evaluate, test and diagnose your headache and, if there are reasons for concern, you will be referred to the appropriate healthcare professional.
Headaches where the pain originates in the cervical spine, neck and upper shoulders is referred to as a cervicogenic headache. Many times, these headaches can be a by-product of whiplash, neck injury or muscle trauma due to poor prolonged posture or severe stress. Many people are surprised how the neck can become a source of severely painful episodes of headaches.
One of the most common ailments in modern society, more than 42 million Americans suffer from headaches each year. Usually these are minor stress or tension-related headaches and, in some people, more severe migraine headaches. Unfortunately, one type of headache that is often overlooked and misdiagnosed is the cervicogenic headache.
Symptoms: Cervicogenic headache is clinically defined as pain that is present in the head, but originates in the cervical spine. Pain can occur at the base of the skull, radiate over the ear and into the forehead area or behind the eyes. A number of people confuse these symptoms with migraine or sinus headaches and it is crucial to differentiate between these separate conditions.
Migraine is an episodic primary headache disorder. Symptoms typically last four to 72 hours and may be severe. Pain is often one sided, throbbing, worse with exertion, and accompanied by symptoms such as nausea and sensitivity to light, sound, or odours. Auras (lights in your vision) occur in about 25% of patients, usually just before but sometimes after the headache.
Treatment: A recent research study concluded that “spinal manipulation demonstrated a benefit in terms of a clinically important improvement of cervicogenic headache pain.”
Studies have also shown that “spinal manipulation/mobilisation is effective in adults for cervicogenic and migraine headaches”.
A series of case studies on the effects spinal manipulation had in the treatment of migraine headaches reported “the four selected cases of migraine responded dramatically to SMT, with numerous self-reported symptoms being either eliminated or substantially reduced. Average frequency of episodes was reduced on average by 90%, duration of each episode by 38%, and use of medication by 94%. In addition, several associated symptoms were substantially reduced, including nausea, vomiting, photophobia and phonophobia.”
Dr Alex talks about headaches:
“Headaches can be a huge problem to those suffering; they can affect your sleep, work and social life and many times are simply put down to migraine and left at that. I feel it is very important to get to the bottom of the cause of the pain and then resolve it. I use various techniques depending on the type of headache, and spinal manipulation or the adjustment has helped reduce the frequency, duration and severity of migraine and cervicogenic headaches. Don’t suffer with headaches, come and see if we can help you, in most cases we can.”
